Make Watertown NY the City of the Future Again!

The Black River Renaissance: Why I’m Betting Big on AI in Watertown, NY
By Hans Wilder, Tech Entrepreneur – Watertown NY, for Digital Media USA

Watertown, New York — I’m not a futurist. I’m a builder. I don’t live in Silicon Valley, I live on the banks of the Black River. And I’m here to tell you something that most tech investors and federal planners haven’t caught onto yet:

Watertown is the sleeping giant of the AI revolution.

Yes, you heard me right. Not Austin. Not Boston. Watertown. And as a tech entrepreneur, I’m putting my chips on this city — because it has what no other place in America has: water, power, space, brains, and patriotism.

The Black River: Nature’s Liquid Gold

Let’s start with the obvious. AI server farms — the backbone of the modern tech economy — need two things in massive supply: power and cooling.

Watertown has both. The Black River has been powering this city for over a century. It once turned the wheels of industry. Now, it’s ready to cool the servers that’ll run America’s AI infrastructure. Naturally. Efficiently. Patriotically.

While other regions scramble to retrofit old buildings or import electricity from who-knows-where, we’ve got a roaring river running through our backyard and the cold winters to go with it. That’s nature’s data center design.

Geographic Goldmine

Now take a look at a map. Watertown isn’t some isolated outpost. We’re sandwiched between Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Syracuse — with direct routes in every direction and Fort Drum right next door.

That’s not just a great location — that’s strategic.

In a time when global data security is a national concern, wouldn’t you rather have your server farms located next to the largest federal military installation in New York State?

Workforce with Grit and Know-How

This isn’t a city of soft hands and startup talk. This is a place where people still build things. Fix things. Adapt. Our local colleges and trade programs are pumping out skilled talent — from electricians and engineers to cybersecurity pros and AI developers.

We don’t need to import workers. We raise them right here.

Trump’s America: Time to Build

Under President Trump’s renewed leadership, we are once again a nation that builds. We don’t kneel to globalism. We don’t wait for Silicon Valley to trickle down success. We roll up our sleeves and build the future ourselves.

Watertown can lead that future.

Why let China run the AI race on dirty coal when we’ve got hydro power rushing down our streets and tech-ready land just waiting for development?

I’m All In on Watertown

I’ve lived here. I’ve built here. And I see what’s coming.

AI isn’t going away. It’s growing faster than anything we’ve ever seen. And Watertown isn’t just ready for it — Watertown is made for it.

So here’s the pitch:
Let’s stop thinking small.
Let’s stop exporting our talent and importing our tech.
Let’s make Watertown the AI capital of the Northeast.
Let’s turn this city into a living, breathing tech corridor powered by the river that built it.